Soon to be wearing number 23 for the Angels (Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

“Blockbuster” Dipoto, as he may or may not be called by his closest friends, has done nothing short of collecting all of the superstars he can since taking over the General Manager position. He gobbled up Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in the off-season and now added the 2009 AL Cy Young winner to the Jered Weaver, Wilson, Dan Haren rotation.

Greinke, and that “e” before “i” is correct no matter how much I oppose it, might not be the over NINE fWAR (Fangraphs wins above replacement) pitcher he was in 2009 but he much better than his Milwaukee ERA’s suggest. Greinke’s FIP (fielding independent pitching) has been almost a full run lower than his ERA in both 2010 (3.83-2.98) and 2011 (3.44-2.50). Putting Greinke in the spacious parks of the AL West with the Angels defense behind him, he should look closer to that Cy Young kid from ’09.

The Halos look to be in “win now” mode since they only have Pujols locked up for nine more seasons. Jean Segura, Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena move to the NL Central in this deal. Kevin Goldstein, of Baseball Prospectus and ESPN fame, ranked Segura as the second best prospect in the Angels system behind Mike Trout entering the year. Segura can play second base or short stop but was ultimately blocked after Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar each signed four year extensions. He also hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy but he’s the type of blue chip prospect it was going to cost to get Greinke.

Hellweg has enormous upside and stature. The 6’9 right-hander ranked third on Goldstein’s list of Angels prospects. He’s got a fastball that can touch 99 but, as a converted reliever, doesn’t have a full starter’s repertoire yet. Hellweg is a work in progress but could end up being a front of the rotation starter. Or back to being a reliever. Or something else. I’m not a scientist.

Pena was the other Angel in the Future’s Game at the All Star break with Segura. He finished at 10 on KG’s preseason Angels rankings. He strikes me more of a reliever but he’s been starting for most of his minor league career and I’m not a qualified scout. Or writer. Nice strikeout rates.

Three top 10 prospects out of the organization for two months of Greinke. That’s a good haul if you’re a Brewers fan. The rumblings sound like Dipoto feels he can extend or re-sign Greinke but that isn’t part of the trade. The Halos are contenders and are all in. The deal makes sense and looks pretty good for both sides. A Weaver, Wilson, Greinke, Haren rotation isn’t anything another team wants to see in the playoffs. Flags fly forever.

I feel like I didn’t write enough about Mike Trout in this post.

The "Wright" man for the job? (Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Fortunately, that’s where I excel. My business card includes the phrases “wild and careless” and “pick me for a free lunch.” If anybody knows where a Bennigan’s is still open, my treat.

The Angels have had a weakness at third base since Troy Glaus, and to a lesser extent, Chone Figgins, departed. That’s the perception, at least. Alberto Callaspo‘s 3.6 fWAR (Fangraphs wins above replacement) was tied for fifth best among all qualified third baseman in 2011. But a .234/.279/.281 slash to start 2012 and the Angels decision to give Mark Trumbo time to butcher the hot corner like he starred in Gangs of New York, doesn’t bode well for his future as the Angels third bagger.

Which leads me back to the protagonist of this post, David Wright. Wright struggled with a stress fracture and a power outage in 2011 but has rebounded nicely in 2012. The Mets star is hitting .375/.479/.552 in his first 117 plate appearances this year. Sure, I don’t think the .429 BABIP (batting average of balls in play) is sustainable either but Wright has looked better at the plate. Wright has already posted a 1.7 fWAR in 2012 after a 1.9 fWAR for all of the 2011 season.

The Mets own a $16 million club option on Wright for 2013 but that disappears if they trade him. So a deadline (or earlier) deal would make Wright a free agent at season’s end which would decrease his trade value. Chris Cwik made an argument at Frangraphs that Wright could be in line for a 6-year, $100 million extension. That is a steep price. The Mets might be willing to go that far to keep a face of their franchise around after Jose Reyes relocated to Miami this past offseason.

The Angels might be willing to spend that much, too. Owner Arte Moreno committed over $300 million on one day to sign Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Moreno did just sign a new $3 billion TV deal with Fox. So buying Pujols was like you treating yourself to a large Blizzard from the DQ after you win $20 from a scratch off. The Halos, however, still aren’t scoring enough runs to support their vaunted starting pitching staff.

Would the Angels throw another $100 million at Wright? Torii Hunter‘s $18.5 million comes off the books next year along with the $9 million the Angels are paying Bobby Abreu to not play for them. But a lot of other players are getting raises and *shutters* Vernon Wells still gets almost 25 million free dollars. So the Angels might not have the cash to give Wright the extension he’ll be looking for.

Of course, the other problem is the Angels would have to send the Mets a package of prospects/players to acquire Wright. GM Jerry Dipoto might have made this easier after signing 2B Howie Kendrick and SS Erick Aybar to four year extensions. That leaves the Angels top non-pitching prospect, Jean Segura, effectively blocked. Segura can play 2B and SS, positions the Mets aren’t exactly overflowing with possibilities. Landing Wright, though, would probably cost the Angels one of their top pitching prospects, Garrett Richards or John Hellweg come to mind, as well.

Back to the title of this post, it is just some good, old fashioned, wild and careless trade speculation but it does bring up a good “who would hang up first” scenario. Plus, if I start a trade rumor that actually happens, the baseball blogger union gives me a 14 cent per year raise and I’m so close to affording that pack of Skittles I’ve had my eyes on. So here it begins, I’m completely and unfoundedly (might not be a real word) starting the Jean Segura/John Hellweg based package to the Mets for David Wright rumor.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The Angels apparently held a split squad prospect game on Monday. Nobody bothered to let me know about it. But I haven’t paid my cell phone bill in months and can’t remember my AOL email password. Luckily, ESPN scouting director and food nerd, Keith Law, attended and hit the highlights. The article is Insider only so I’m only going to highlight a few highlights. That man has an expensive cookware collection and has gots to get paid.

John Hellweg
Hellweg was the star of Law’s notes. The 6’9 right-hander was converted from a reliever to a starter and his prospect stock took off like he invented the iPad. The flamethrower can hit 100 and lives at 95-97 mph with his fastball. Baseball Prospectus guru Kevin Goldstein ranked Hellweg 3rd in the Angels system and Baseball America had him 4th. Law made him 81st in his Top 100 and was impressed with what he saw Monday…

Starter John Hellweg was 95-98 with a lot of life down in the zone, more tail at 95 but just straight sink at 97-98, with the action generated by a low three-quarters arm slot. His changeup at 87-90 is more like a two-seamer with its tailing life, without which it would be just a BP fastball. The breaking ball at 83-84 was huge with tremendous tilt, although it’s so big and sharp I worry about big league hitters laying off it because it’s going to finish out of the zone so often.

Whatever that means. Hellweg’s future could be a front end starter. Or a dominant reliever. Or Lewis Yocum will have to eventually sew his arm back on to his body. Fingers crossed it’s the first one.

Kaleb Cowart
Cowart is still years away from competing for the Angels third base job but he is a clear top 10 prospect in the Angels system. While some saw Cowart as a pitcher out of high school in the 2010 draft, the Halos drafted him in hopes he’d man the hot corner for them in the future…

The Angels ran just about all of their position player prospects out there for at least two at-bats apiece in this game, including Kaleb Cowart, who made a really nice play to his right at third base.

Cowart should stick at third thanks to his plus arm and athleticism. He might even hit for some power. There’s also a good chance Arte Moreno and Magic Johnson box on PPV before Cowart reaches his potential.

Chevy Clarke
Chevy Clarke was the Angels number 13 prospect in 2011 according to Baseball America. He didn’t make their top 31 in 2012. Is he still playing, Keith?

Chevy Clarke, who drilled a double that was misplayed into an inside-the-parker while hitting left-handed

Okay, thanks. Clarke is one of the poster children for incredible tools that will never reach the Majors. After two miserable years in rookie ball (failed to crack a .295 OBP either year), Clarke is a long shot to put it all together.

For the rest of Law’s notes sign up for Insider and go here. I’m pretty sure I get 30 cents for every new Insider subscription I get him.